The Coronation of King Charles III is a historic moment in the life of our nation.
The Coronation Service will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby. It forms part of a weekend of festivities, celebrations and service. This is a fantastic opportunity for churches and schools to celebrate and reach out to their communities in a variety of ways.
How you choose to get involved is entirely up to you! This page seeks to share inspiration and information to help you in your plans.
The Coronation is centred around a solemn religious ceremony that has remained largely unchanged for over a thousand years. In a similar but simpler ceremony during the service, the Queen Consort will also be crowned alongside His Majesty The King.
The Church of England hopes that this would be a moment for the nation and many around the world to encounter the person of Jesus Christ, the servant King, and hear His call to each of us to serve others.
There are many ways for churches and schools to get involved, from church services, to volunteering initiatives and community events.
Key dates
- 28 Days of Prayer, Sunday 9 April to Saturday 6 May
- National Week of Prayer, Sunday 30 April to Saturday 6 May
- The Coronation Service, Saturday 6 May
- Big Coronation Lunch, Sunday 7 May
- Big Help Out, Monday 8 May
Pastoral letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
The Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and The Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York have written directly to all clergy across the county to share their hopes, desires and prayers for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.
Prayer for the Royal Family
Please read this letter from the National Liturgical Advisor about Warrants issued on the 3rd of May by the King about forms of prayer for the Royal Family. The effect is to change the style of the Queen Consort effective from 6 May.
Coronation Webinars
This webinar recording will update you on the national plans and resources for the Coronation weekend, with suggestions on how to create a memorable occasion in your community.
Watch the webinar: Celebrating the coronation weekend at your church
The resources shared in the webinar are available here including videos of the National Anthem in British Sign Language.
A second webinar has been scheduled on Thursday 20th April at 4pm to provide an update on the national plans and resources for the Coronation weekend with suggestions of how to use them locally to create a memorable occasion.
This brochure is packed full of helpful information to help you plan for the Coronation weekend. Coronation information pack for church communities
We pray for the King and the Royal Family
28 Days of Prayer, Sunday 9 April to Saturday 6 May
To mark this important occasion, the Church of England has compiled a series of Daily Prayers for the Coronation of King Charles III. Beginning on Sunday, 9 April – four weeks before the Coronation – this series offers a prayer, a short reading and reflection on a different theme each day including prayers and reflections for us to use when we pray with and for the King, as he prepares for the Coronation.
You can sign up for daily reflections emails here.
Resources for Worship and Prayer
Special services and prayers are available from the National Church here.
Publicity Toolkit
The Church of England has created a range of publicity tools and resources for use during the Coronation, which carries Church of England branding and the official Coronation Emblem released by the Royal Household. These resources have been designed for you to adapt and amend for your setting including:
- Church of England Coronation logos (in SVG, PNG and EPS formats)
- Design guidance and publicity toolkit including colour palette and approved fonts
- Become an editor on A Church Near You to access Posters, web headers, social media graphics etc
Resources for schools, young people and families
The Church of England is providing a range of resources to help schools, young people and families to mark this historic moment in the life of our nation.
These resources explore the six elements of the Coronation Service as the structure for reflection on the Kingdom of God, including a prayer, a commitment and elements from the Commonwealth. Visit this page to access the resources.
Practical tips for planning an event for the Coronation
If you are holding an event, these pages provide useful, practical advice.
- The Church of England site has lots of ideas for events
- Ecclesiastical Insurance: Planning a church event
Please do share your plans with the Communications Team as we would love to share with others!
Ring for the King
Churches are being encouraged to Ring for the King! Please do share with the Communications Team if you are planning to do so! Guidance is available on the Central Council of Church Bell Ringer's website
Flag guidance
The Flag Institute have issued guidance on their website for the day of the Coronation service. Read here.
BBC permissions for screening events of national significance
It has been confirmed that the BBC will be waiving licensing requirements for public screenings of both the Coronation Service, and the Coronation Concert provided that tickets to public screenings are not sold and no profit is to be made from the screening. The BBC has produced guidance and as was the case with public screenings of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, and the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty The Queen, the broadcast would need to be screened live without interruption or edits. The terms and conditions will be the same as those for the Platinum Jubilee events and the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth, which can be found here.
The Big Help Out
To mark The King’s Coronation, thousands of organisations across the country are getting together to give us all the chance to help out in our own local communities.
Churches and schools from across the country are invited to join #TheBigHelpOut on Monday 8 May 2023 to recognise the contribution of volunteering to our communities.
The aim of The Big Help Out is to use volunteering to bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation Weekend.
If you'd like to organise an event, information is available on the Big Help Out website and a Q&A document is available.
You can also download a toolkit with plenty of information including publicity materials.
Join in the Coronation Big Lunch
Neighbours and communities across the United Kingdom are invited to share food and fun together at Coronation Big Lunches on Sunday 7th May, in a nationwide act of celebration and friendship. From a cup of tea with a neighbour to a street party, a Coronation Big Lunch brings the celebrations to your parish and is a great way to get to know your community a little better.
Bring your community together with The Big Lunch this year - be part of history and join millions across the UK, and further afield, with a Coronation Big Lunch on 6-8 May.
- Get your Big Lunch Coronation Pack here. The pack includes planners, posters, invitations, menus, social media graphics and much more.
- Make sure you put your own Big Lunch on the national map and help us to promote what's happening locally more widely!
